St John's Church is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

church in West Bay,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England. It was built in 1935–39 to the designs of William Henry Randoll Blacking and has been a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

since 1975.

History

St John's was built as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

to the parish church of St Mary's,

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...

. Prior to its construction, Church of England services had been held in a cottage converted in 1862 into a mission room dedicated to St Andrew.The Western Gazette - New West Bay church - 26 May 1939 - page 7 Fundraising began in 1923 to raise £3,000 for a new church to replace the existing mission chapel, which was considered too small, particularly during the summer seasons when West Bay received a large influx of visitors. William Henry Randoll Blacking was commissioned to design the church in 1926. The south aisle was the first section to be constructed, with the foundation stone laid by the

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

, Rev.

St Clair Donaldson St Clair George Alfred Donaldson (11 February 1863 – 7 December 1935) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the first Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia. Early life Donaldson was the third son of Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson and hi ...

, on 28 May 1935. It was opened on 10 November 1935 and used for services until the church's nave was built. The completed church was dedicated on 21 May 1939 by the Bishop of Salisbury, Rev.

Neville Lovett Ernest Neville Lovett, (16 February 1869 – 8 September 1951) served as the Bishop of Portsmouth in the Church of England from 1927 to 1936 and as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1936 to 1946. Life Lovett was born in Torquay on 16 February 1 ...

. At the time, the church had cost over £5,000, with £1,500 still to be raised. In 2014,

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

added the church to their

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for actio ...

, primarily due to the poor condition of its roofs, resulting in dampness and leakage. In 2018, it was reported that although further work is required, conditions have approved, with all roofs having been repaired. The church still has "some areas of damp" and its lead windows are in need of repair.

Architecture

St John's, able to accommodate 300 persons, is built of rendered stone, with limestone dressings and slate roofs. The western gable of the church features a bellcote, with a clock face on the wall below. The interior is made up of a five-bay nave, a three-bay south aisle with porch and vestries. Some of the church's furnishings are of limed oak, including the lectern, pulpit and stalls. The font is of Victorian origin and relocated to the church from the mission chapel. The stained glass of the east window was created by

Christopher Webb Christopher Rahere Webb (1886-1966) was an English stained glass designer. His unusual second name was derived from that of the founder of St Bartholomew-the-Great, St Bartholomew's Priory in London where his father, Edward Alfred Webb and hi ...

in 1959 and includes an illustration of

Portland Bill Lighthouse Portland Bill Lighthouse is a functioning lighthouse at Portland Bill, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The lighthouse and its boundary walls are Grade II Listed. As Portland Bill's largest and most recent lighthouse, the Trinity Hou ...

and a sailing vessel.

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

consider the church "elegant and simple" and "styled in traditional forms informed by the Arts and Crafts movement".

References

External links

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Bridport Team Ministry website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Church, West Bay Churches in Dorset Grade II listed churches in Dorset Church of England church buildings in Dorset